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Triple Tony Award-nominee Raul Esparza dishes on his role in the Broadway revival of David Mamet’s “Speed-the-Plow,” how being Cuban helped make him an actor and what he sees in store for Latinos on the stage.

How are you tackling the role of Charlie in “Speed-the-Plow?”

I’ve never done any Mamet . . . he writes the way you speak, and once you get it, it feels like jazz. But getting it is a bear. I really relate to the speed, since I’m wired and wound pretty tight. Charlie is going so fast and I can totally relate to that. Cubans speak fast, too, and friends always tell me, “Whoa, slow down.”

What did your background have to do with you becoming an actor?

Being a first-generation Cuban definitely is a big part of why I became an actor. So much of being Cuban is about living in the past, living in other people’s stories . . . I am more familiar with my parents’ lives than I am my own childhood. So it helped me empathize with others and put myself emotionally in their lives. And Cubans are very emotional, so it’s easy to tap into that for roles. I always think with my heart first.

What was it like growing up Cuban in Miami?

My grandparents only spoke Spanish, and my grandmother had a big part in raising me. Spanish was actually my first language; I didn’t learn English until I was 5 or 6 years old. And then I was told only Spanish inside the house; English outside the house. I remember being in my yard and my neighbor asking me to say something in Spanish. I told them I wasn’t allowed to. Maybe that’s why I was an English major.

Do you think the success of “In the Heights” will open up more options for Latinos on the stage?

I hope so, but I think that the producing community has a hard time with us. There are so many Latin experiences, but they keep trying to put us into one group. With “Heights,” it’s great to see that story on stage, but it’s not my story. Maybe the door has cracked a little bit and there will be room to hear variations.

How does being Latin affect your life and career?

When I’m in Miami, if I don’t speak Spanish, I’m in trouble. When I come back to New York, my life is very Anglo. I wish I could use Spanish professionally, I really do. But I haven’t changed my name and I’ve been blessed with being able to play roles from all different countries. I think people don’t see me as Hispanic first, they see me as an actor first. And I think that’s a step forward.

Previews for “Speed-the-Plow” begin tomorrow, with an opening date set for Oct. 23.